WHS Library Blog

Welcome back to the library! Now that we are halfway through the first quarter, we wanted to make you aware of what’s happening in the WHS library and of the following resources and services that are available.

Public Library Cards: 

Does your student need their own public library card? Yes! Having one will allow them to access many online resources such as databases, Libby, Hoopla, and more! A physical card will also allow them to check out books or request books through interlibrary loan. Sign up online here, or visit the Weston Public Library. Any MA resident can also sign up for a Boston Public Library card. 

What Resources does your student have access to?

• Two highly-trained and helpful professionals

• Loaner computers & chargers 
• printers
• Textbooks (because who wants to carry those heavy books around?)
• Online resources: 
• databases and newspapers
• Everyone on campus has free access to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, provided by the library. Access the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal here!
• Books for pleasure and research
• Games—chess has been a big hit so far! 
• The craft corner—this month is origami

New books and collections

Looking for a book to read? You can browse new books and collections in person or online. In September we highlighted the Right to Read and Dark Academia. This month we will be featuring:

• Spooky & Scary books

• LGBTQ+ History 

• Media Literacy Week

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15)

Read a book or check out a movie! So many great choices. Thanks for reading, and we look forward to seeing you in the library!
Mrs. Barry & Ms. Lockwell
 

It's a new year and your high school library is here for you. Come by to relax and explore during your studies, lunch, and before and after school. 

The current craft is vintage book page snowflakes. Find it in the back of the library along with the perler bead supplies. 

SORA now has magazines along with audiobooks and ebooks for leisure reading. Download the SORA app onto your mobile device, sign in with your Weston gmail account,  find the Commonwealth Ebook Collection, and then choose Weston High for books and magazines on demand, for free. 

Did you make a goal to read more in 2024? Come to library because we have so many fascinating new books for you. Browse the New Books Guide for a complete list. Do you want us to buy a certain book for the library? Let the librarians know and we will take care of it. 

A media literacy tip for January 2024: when reading or viewing video, news, websites and social media, take a moment to notice and name your emotions. Does a video use language and images that make you angry? Does a social media post make you feel bad about yourself? Do you feel close to an influencer on social media with whom you have never met or communicated? When you read the news do you feel anxious or overwhelmed? When you take the time of notice your emotions your critical evaluation skills will get sharper and inflammatory media won't take charge of your emotions. 

Welcome back to your school library!  We are so glad to see you and have a lot of news to share with you. A big welcome your new librarian, Ms. Lockwell. She is happy to be here and is enjoying getting to know all of you. 

Crafts
Crafts are back in the library. Make the the cutest little felt bat you’ve ever seen (designed by Ms. Lockwell).  Go to the back of the library to find the supplies and instructions. Or, design your own felt creation. You can also make a fuse bead project. 

Genrefying your library
We’ve made it easier for you to find books to read for fun by breaking out the horror, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery/thriller books. We know this is a good move because students have been checking out more books!  We are excited to improve your library experience. 

Library displays for you to browse

• About Writing
• Books Set in High School
• Hispanic Heritage Month
• Climate Champs
• Banned Books 2023

Free newspaper subscriptions

• The New York Times (on campus only–no sign in needed)
• New York Times games (sign up in library)
• The Athletic (sign up in library)
• The Wall Street Journal (password needed–ask your librarians)

Media literacy vocabulary word for this month: Lateral Reading
Lateral reading helps you evaluate news stories. When you read a news story from a source with which you are not familiar, and it’s telling you something dramatic or new, confirm the facts before you trust. Look at other news outlets that you trust to see how they are reporting on the issue.

 If the facts are the same across several trusted news sources, trust it. If the facts are different across several trusted news sources, wait until the story develops and the facts are the same across sources before you trust.  If the facts in other news sources are the same and the facts in the news source you are reading are different, don’t trust the source that is different. 

News develops over time. Give it a few days and the facts will become clear. 

We look forward to seeing you in the library soon!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Hanson and Ms. Lockwell

Have you heard of Libby, the public library ebook app?  SORA is from the same company, designed for schools. It works really well on all different kinds of devices and everyone at WHS (including YOU!)  has an account.

1. Download the SORA app to your mobile device to get access to thousands of free e and audiobooks.
2. After you download SORA, join SYNC, a free audiobook program for teens that gives you two free audiobooks every week through July.  The books are stored on the SORA app.

For instructions and links, check this libguide:

If you'd rather get help from a real live person, please stop by the school library and Mrs. Hanson will be delighted to help. 

 

Did you get your free one year subscription to The Athletic and New York Times Games yet? Please stop by the school library and we will get you set up. 

New: World Language book collection
Read books in different languages to develop your language skills, cultural understandings and family connections.  The books are all by native authors--no  translations from English. The books range from picture books to classic literature for adults. We have fiction, nonfiction and poetry. There is something for every language level.  

Reading suggestions:

• Read a picture book to your family to develop your speaking skills.  
• Read a picture book to yourself to develop your beginning reading skills 
• Advanced language speakers: challenge yourself with a novel or classic text
• Share a book with your parents: ask them to read it aloud to the family to develop your listening skills

Click on the links below to browse the collection now and come to the library to choose books in person.

• Arabic books
• Chinese books 
• Korean books

Coming soon:

• French books 
• Latin books 
• Spanish books 

Do you want another language in the collection? Please let us know. (We will buy Portuguese books next.) 

The Top Ten (most popular books checked out from the library this year)

1. Circe by Madeline Miller
2. It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
3. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
4. November 9 by Colleen Hoover
5. Verity by Colleen Hoover
6. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
7. Heartstopper Vol. 1 by Alice Oseman
8. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owen
9. Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Ibram X. Kendi
10. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo

Reading suggestions
Looking for something to read? Come to the library to browse and borrow. If you want to browse recommendations now, please use the links below. Many of these books are on display in the library so please come browse and borrow in person!

New Books

• New Manga
• New Graphic Novels
• New Fiction
• New Nonfiction

Collections on a theme

• Black History Month
• Arabs around the World
• Korea, Koreans and Korean Americans
• Mysteries
• Emoji Reads
• Nutrition
• Women’s History Month    
• Really Good Nonfiction
• Classic Fiction

Get all the (free) library cards!
Did you know that

• all students and employees at Weston Public Schools can get a Weston Public Library card? 
• every Massachusetts resident can get a Boston Public Library ecard?

With these cards you can borrow thousands of print books (from Weston), ebooks, audiobooks, databases and streaming videos (from Weston and Boston). Don’t buy this stuff, borrow it! Take all the money you save and go out to dinner. 

Check the guide below to get those library cards!

• How to get Boston and Weston Public Library cards

Thanks for reading and we look forward to seeing you in the library soon. 

Mrs. Hanson, Librarian
hansona@weston.org

Mrs. Azez, Paraprofessional
azezc@weston.org

The library has new books and crafts to get you through the long dark days of winter. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Chinese books
Your library is expanding the World Languages collection starting with books in Chinese. These new books are for native speakers as well as Chinese language learners. Come to the library and browse the display in the middle of the library. You can also browse them online. Read a Chinese book!
Books in Chinese

Newspapers online
Did you know we offer on campus access to The New York Times website as well as on and off campus access to The Wall Street Journal? You don't need a password--access is location based. Get more information about news databases on the library website. 
A-Z Database list

New Books
We have lots of new books for you to browse in the library and online, below.
New Books Guide

Fuse Bead Craft
Relax with a craft you loved to do when you were a kid--FUSE BEADS!  Supplies are in the back of the library. 

Mrs. Azez and Mrs. Hanson

Library website

Art by Reina Wang

Welcome back to the library! We are so happy to see you again.

New! Crafts and activities 
Every month we offer a do-it-yourself craft in the library. This month, make a duck tape zipper pouch. You can find crafts and anti-stress books and other items at a table in the back of the library near the collab. 

New Books
Lots of new fiction in the library this month. You can browse and reserve online in the guide below or visit in person. You'll find new fantasy, mystery, historical fiction, romance, science fiction and more. Come to the library and borrow a book!

New Books Guide

ELE Library Resource Guide
We also want to share our ELE guide for students who are learning English. The guide lists databases and other resources that offer translation and reading levels to help you with class content and with "fun" reading. 

ELE Library Resource Guide

We look forward to seeing you in the library.

Mrs. Hanson and Mrs. Azez

Did you know that the library has resources for ELE students, like databases in multiple reading levels with translation embedded? We made a libguide about about these resources for students, teachers and parents, linked below. We look forward to helping you find the resources you need.

• ELE Library Resources Guide

Summer is a great time to read.

We encourage you to take the time this summer to slow down and read a book or two of your choice. We offer you suggestions here, and also know that your friends and families will suggest other, equally good books to you. We offer you two suggested lists:  the WHS library Suggested Summer Reading List, and the Mass Teen Choice Book Awards nominees where you vote in September to choose the winners. All information is in this library guide:

• Suggested Summer Reading 2022 Guide

Did you know that we encourage you to borrow books from the school  library over the summer?  Bring in a bag and we will help you fill it. Also, we recommend you try SORA this summer for free e and audiobooks (yes, listening to audiobooks counts as reading!). Many of the books on these two suggested lists are available in SORA and also in the library. 

Have a great summer and happy reading!

Sincerely,

Ms. Hanson and Ms. Azez

Celebrate National Poetry Month

Read some new poetry, fiction and memoir in verse, and make a blackout poem during the month of April. Books are on display at the front of the library with the blackout poetry creation station. 

National Library Week

It's National Library Week. Quick facts: there are an estimated 117,000 libraries across the country, from the familiar public libraries to those in schools, academies, and governments. State and local libraries employ 91,500 people full time and 93,000 part-time.

WHS research services.

• Free PDFs of articles  behind paywalls. Sometimes you'll find the perfect article online but sadness sets in when you are asked to pay $35 dollars for a PDF.  Mrs. Hanson can usually get that PDF for free. Contact her as soon as you can with your requests. Please allow one week for articles to arrive.  Mrs. Hanson requests them right away, but the service takes a few days to deliver. 
• Books from other libraries. Your librarians can get books from other libraries and deliver them to you in school, for free. Please allow one week for the books to arrive. We request the books right away, but they physically need to get here from across the state on special library vans. 
• Help getting Weston Public Library and Boston Public LIbrary cards. All Weston students can get Weston Public Library cards, and all MA residents can get Boston Public Library ecards.  
• Individual research help. Mrs. Hanson can help you find books and articles. Contact her as soon as you know you need help, so we'll have enough time to gather your materials. It can take up to a week. 
• Help using databases and citing. The library website holds all of our databases and we recommend you use Noodletools for your citing. 
• Book purchasing requests. If you give one month's notice we can buy specific books for your research needs. When you request books after May 1, they will arrive the following September. 
• Ask Mrs. Hanson (hansona@weston.org) for help.

New Books

We have lot of new books for you. Please browse the new book guide to see new graphic novels, poetry, fiction, nonfiction, books about autism and more, or stop by the library and do it in person. 

• New Book Guide

Did you know

...that the library offers you a new, popular fiction, graphic novels, memoir and other books for independent reading? Or that listening to audiobooks is the same thing as reading a book? It's easy to stop by the library to borrow a good book. We have lots of books on display, love to help you find things and make recommendations. We buy fiction for adults and young adults, fantasy, mystery, realistic fiction, graphic novels, manga, with a focus on books by Black authors, authors of color, and Indigenous authors. We believe every student needs to see themselves in books, and that it's important to see and understand others through reading. 

Optional Survey

Please take this Reading survey. The library will use your answers to improve the library. Thank you. 

What new books does the library have?

Check the New Books Guide on the library website. Right now we have a lot of new science, math, and nonfictions books. We are going to introduce a new world language collection soon, and more fiction and graphic novels are arriving daily!

How do I find good books in the library?

• If you know which books you want, search the online Destiny Discover catalog on the library website. Reserve books for pick up by signing in to Destiny Discover with your Weston user/password, click on the book you want, and select "hold." The librarians will email when your book is ready for pick up.
• Come to the library and browse. We have a lot of displays and many shelves of fiction and graphic novels. 
• Browse the New Books guide on the library website for new books and themed collections.
• Browse the Reading guide on the library website.
• Browse the Summer Reading guides--all the books mentioned there are fabulous.
• Download the SORA app on your device to browse and borrow free audio and e books. Need help? Try the SORA help guide or ask Mrs. Hanson.
• Join the all school book club which meets twice a year. Our next meeting is April 14. 
• Ask Mrs. Hanson and Ms. Azez, your teachers, your family and friends for recommendations. 

Where are the actual fiction and graphic novels in the library?

See this map for a general idea.

The library doesn't have what I want. What's next?

• Ask Mrs. Hanson or Ms. Azez to order the book(s) from another library. 
• Ask Mrs. Hanson or Ms. Azez to buy the books you want for the library collection. We value your recommendations. 

Read with us! You are invited to the next all-school book club meeting on Thursday, May 5, during activity block in the library.  The book club meets twice a year, and this is our second and last meeting. We hope you can come.

The Girl Up club is collaborating on this meeting with us. The reading theme is "Women's Empowerment" and we have built a recommended list of books for you to choose from. Read whatever book you like and come to the meeting and talk about it. 

All of the recommended titles are by and about women of color. Ideas explored can include:

• Feminism
• Sexual harassment
• Sexuality
• #metoo movement
• Race
• Mental health

For the list of recommended books and more information, please stop by the library and look at the display and ask the librarians questions, look at the bulletin board in the hallway outside the library, and see the Book Club guide.

• Book Club Guide: April 14 Meeting: Girl Up Book Club Collab

We hope you can come!

Contact: Julia Chow, '22, Mrs. Hanson, Librarian, Ms. Wanoksy, History

Black History Month

February is Black History Month, and your library has books and videos celebrating Black History through art, film, politics, activism, literature and more. Visit the Black History Month display in the library or browse it online and reserve books for pick up.

• Black History Month Collection

Databases

Databases are an important academic resource. Educational institutions buy these collections of edited articles, videos, images and ebooks are purchased for academic use. For most research you use a mix of free resources you find online and databases.

Googling and using databases require the same amount of work. When you Google, you jump right on Google and get a million results (sometimes too many) and you pick and choose the best you can. Finally, you evaluate the source to create a citation. With databases, the work is frontloaded: you have to start on the library website, choose a database and sometimes use a password. Once you're in the database, you have fewer results to choose from, you're confident the source is reliable, and the database creates a citation for you. 

Popular WHS databases include World History, Global Issues, Science, The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. We invite you to browse the databases on the library website by choosing the "Databases" tab. (Passwords, if needed, pop up when you scroll over the "i" in the black circle next to the database name.)

What do you think about using library databases? Please take this survey to help us serve you better. 

• Database survey

New Books

Find a great book in our new books and themed collections guide.

• New Books Guide

Have a great break!

Hello all,

We are happy to share our new books and themed book collections that we have built in the library.   Please visit the New Books Guide to browse online, or come to the library to visit in person. So many great new books to read!

Also, you are invited to take this short, optional survey about the library website:

Library Website Survey

Don't forget, the all-school book club is meeting on February 17. Find more details on the Book Club Guide. We can't wait to hear about the sci-fi and dystopian books you have been reading. 

Thanks for your attention.

We hope you're planning on coming to the all-school book club to talk about the sci-fi book/s you've been reading. This club is mainly for students however all faculty and staff are invited too.

We had to change our meeting date to February 17, the Thursday before February break. We meet during activity block in the library. 

There is no required book. Read whatever sci-fi book/s you like and recommend and discuss during the meeting. Please see the book club guide for recommended books. Many are on display in the library. 

• Book Club Guide
• Meeting info: February 17, Activity Block, Library

We've read some amazing books and want to share them with you, and we really want to hear about what you've been reading! 

Julia Chow '22, Mrs. Hanson and Ms. Wanosky